Vintage Coffee Brands & Culture

About Vintage Coffee Brands & Culture

From percolators to freeze-dried crystals, how well do you remember the coffee culture of decades past? Vintage Coffee Brands & Culture packs 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 8 easy, 6 medium, 1 hard questions into a relaxed session of roughly 7 minutes — no sign-up, no timer pressure. An explanation appears after every answer, and finishing once a day keeps your streak alive.

A few sample questions

1. 1. Which coffee brand used the slogan 'Good to the last drop,' attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt?

   Answer: Maxwell House

   Maxwell House has used 'Good to the Last Drop' since 1917. Legend has it that President Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase after drinking a cup at the Maxwell House hotel in Nashville.

2. 2. Which brand of instant coffee was the first widely available decaffeinated coffee in America?

   Answer: Sanka

   Sanka, introduced to America in 1923, was the first major decaffeinated coffee brand. Its name comes from the French 'sans caffeine' (without caffeine).

3. 3. What type of coffee maker was the standard in most American homes from the 1940s through the 1970s?

   Answer: Percolator

   The percolator was the standard American coffee maker for decades. The distinctive gurgling sound of a percolating pot was a familiar morning sound in homes across the country.

4. 4. Which Folgers coffee commercial featured a son coming home for the holidays and quietly brewing a pot of coffee to wake the family?

   Answer: Peter Comes Home

   The 'Peter Comes Home' Folgers commercial first aired in 1986 and became one of the most beloved holiday commercials in American television history.

5. 5. What was the name of the Folgers jingle that began 'The best part of waking up...'?

   Answer: The Best Part of Waking Up Is Folgers in Your Cup

   'The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup' debuted in 1984 and became one of the most recognized jingles in advertising history.

Things you'll learn along the way

• ✓Folgers Crystals ran a famous series of commercials where they secretly replaced fine restaurant coffee with Folgers instant coffee and filmed diners' reactions.
• ✓Juan Valdez was created in 1958 by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. The mustachioed farmer and his mule became icons of Colombian coffee quality.
• ✓Taster's Choice ran a serialized series of romantic commercials featuring two neighbors who kept meeting over cups of coffee. The story played out over multiple episodes.